not even a hint of charred metal on the truck’s hood? This huge fire had been right there, flush against us. We thanked God that we were okay.
Some months later, during a radio call-in show, a man related a similar happening in a Midwest field of grass. He wanted to know what it was. The answer was that this was a rare occurrence known as ball lightning, when ground-level, high-energy electrical forces come together. But the talk show host never explained why nothing burned in the man’s experience or in our experience.
My daughter and I speculated that maybe our guardian angels swept a hand down between an inch or so of the fire ball and the hood of my pickup. Or maybe the Holy Spirit was praying for us from deep within when we couldn’t.
— Elizabeth Fenn
The Prayer of the Holy Spirit
In his letter to the Romans, Saint Paul explains that in our weakest moments, when we are unable to pray, the Holy Spirit takes over and prays on our behalf. “We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).
My Prayer Was for a Husband
I was attending a Life in the Spirit seminar, where I was encouraged to regularly pray, read, and write. I was twenty-eight years old, lonely, and wanting to find love. Needless to say, my prayer was for a husband, and my requirements went something like this: “A Catholic man, who loves and respects his family as he will love and respect me, a man who values hard work and working together, a man who wants a family of children to raise with faith, kindness, and compassion.”
Six years later after finding the fulfillment of God’s love, I married my husband who was the completion of my prayer. My prayer was answered, and I now have a husband, selected for me by the Holy Spirit, and a family that I prayed for.
— Patricia Morgetano
What is a Life in the Spirit Seminar?
The purpose of a Life in the Spirit seminar is to introduce participants to the Holy Spirit. The sessions include prayer, music, talks, testimonies, and small-group sharing on a variety of topics such as God’s love, developing a relationship with Jesus Christ, recognizing the power of the Holy Spirit, using the gifts of the Spirit, rejecting sin, growing in faith, and carrying the Good News of Jesus into the world.
“You Will Be Accepted”
Whenever my husband, Jack, and I did volunteer work, it was always social work — beginning with migrant ministry. Jack reached a point where he no longer wanted to work in the family business. He wanted to do people work. So he applied to the School of Social Work at the University of Buffalo … but something went wrong. The person in charge of the admissions committee would not even talk to Jack!
That August, we went on a family retreat vacation. We prayed our hearts out for Jack to be accepted. On our last day, one of the other mothers had a medical emergency, and our friend Mary suggested that we go into the chapel and say a pray for her. So four of us — Mary, her husband, Jack, and I — knelt to pray. We had our arms around each other. Just before Mary started to pray in tongues, I said, “Let’s pray for Jack, too.” So we prayed, and I had tears running from my eyes like faucets.
Later that afternoon, I said to Jack, “I’m not sure how this will work — whether it is this September or next September — but you will be accepted at the University of Buffalo. I know it is going to happen!” A few days later, we got a call from the university. The man who refused to speak to Jack took a job in California, and the woman who took his place said, “I can’t understand why you were not accepted into the program. I am going to ask if I can boost you up on the list.”
On September 12, the woman from the university called again. “Can your husband come in tomorrow to start school?” she asked. “He is accepted.”
It was truly an answer to prayer.
— F. de Sales Kellick
What is Praying in Tongues?
Praying in tongues is a charism of the Holy Spirit that enables someone to pray in a language that had never been learned by that person, or that may not be a known language at all. Saint Paul described the gift of tongues in his first letter to the Corinthians as a means of speaking directly to God: “For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:2). Many people say the gift of praying in tongues is a form of praise that carries them beyond the experience of reciting prayers or speaking to God in their own words.
The Gift of Calm
I was the principal of a Catholic school. It was the last day before Christmas break, and a special Mass was planned. I was surprised when the priest who had been scheduled sent a substitute instead. It was a priest I had never met before. I explained to him that I would stay for Mass, but that I had to leave immediately afterward because my mother was ill.
My mother was not the type to complain. The day before she had abdominal pain, no appetite, and was vomiting. I visited her, and we both thought she probably had a stomach flu. By evening she was very ill but refused to let us take her to the hospital.
The next morning, just before the priest arrived, I had talked to my mother and sister-in-law. Together we decided that my sister-in-law would take my mother to the hospital emergency room. I would meet them after Mass.
At the beginning of Mass, I introduced the priest to the students. During the prayers of the faithful, I was stunned when the priest announced that my mother was ill. He explained that he was a healing priest, and he asked me to come forward so that he could pray for my mother, my family, and me. I walked up to the altar. I had never been prayed over before, and I didn’t know what to expect. The priest put his hands on my head and began to pray. I felt an indescribable feeling of calm come over me. I remember thinking that this must be the Holy Spirit and my mother was going to be okay.
I left for the hospital as soon as Mass ended. After many tests, the doctors determined that my mother had a ruptured bowel caused by an obstruction, but they could not take her to surgery until they regulated her blood and heart. Without the surgery she would die, but there was also a question as to whether her heart was strong enough to withstand surgery.
My dad, my brother, my husband, my children, and their spouses came at once. Each family member had a chance to talk with my mother privately. A priest, who is a family friend, gave my mother the sacrament of the sick. She was ready for surgery.
Our family was gathered in the surgical waiting room when we heard the “Code Blue” announcement over the intercom. I knew immediately that it was for my mother. A short time later, the doctor told us that her heart had stopped and they revived her, but that it was impossible to continue with the surgery. They brought her back to the hospital room where we all gathered at her bedside. The doctor explained that she would not be able to speak, but that she would be able to hear us if we wanted to say good-bye. We were with her when she took her last breath. All I could think of was to comfort my father, brother, sister-in-law, and children.
The next day, overwhelming waves of grief consumed me. A deacon, who is a friend of the family and had been at the hospital with us the day before, stopped by the house to see how I was doing. I was surprised when he commented on how calm and strong I had been the day before. It was then that I realized the Holy Spirit had not come to heal my mother, but to instill in me a sense of calm and to sustain me during one of the
